Natural-Based Polymers for Biomedical Applications

Natural origin biopolymers are attractive for use in biomedical applications, partly due to their biocompatibility and degradation characteristics. This book comprehensively reviews this important subject in six in-depth sections. Part 1 discusses the sources, properties, modification and processing of natural-based polymers, whilst in the second section surface aspects are reviewed. Parts 3 and 4 cover natural-origin materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, discussing scaffolds, hydrogels and injectable systems. The sustained release of molecules is reviewed in the fifth part of the book, followed by the biocompatibility of natural-based polymers in the final book section.